


Dawn

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2019-06-06
Packaged: 2020-04-11 12:41:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19109884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Willow takes Jay on a tour of her part of Jorvik City at dawn, so he can see what the city's like when it's just waking up. Willow belongs to willownorthbook and Jay belongs to SpaceUnicornDot.





	Dawn

**Author's Note:**

  * For [willownorthbook](https://archiveofourown.org/users/willownorthbook/gifts), [SpaceUnicornDot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpaceUnicornDot/gifts).



Willow hadn’t felt like she was truly at home in a long time. She loved her home with Jay in Mistfall, yes. Loved her home away from the city, with the man she loved, with the horses she loved, with the soul brother she’d found. But then, when it had all come crashing down, there was no place like home.

Waking up in that childhood home, though, where she’d spent many days with her father before moving to Moorland, Willow almost felt like she’d never left. Her bedsheets were different, obviously, and the posters on her walls were different. But they were the same walls. The same bed. Even the same nightstand that currently held her alarm clock that informed her that it was barely six in the morning. For a moment, Willow wondered why she’d woken up so early. And then she saw her boyfriend halfway to the door, looking guilty at having woken her, and her heart melted as her lips curved into a smile.

“Sorry,” said Jay, his hand hovering over the doorknob. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“You’re here,” said Willow, her voice cracking on the word as tears swam in her eyes. The bed was warm, but right now, she wanted to climb out of bed, out of that warmth, and bring Jay into her embrace. Which she did, even with her pyjamas being little more than one of Jay’s shirts. She’d packed it to sleep in before he’d agreed to come here with her, and he’d found it adorable.

“Of course I am,” said Jay. “I wanted to stay with you, even here in the city.” Willow smiled, leaning up to press a kiss to his lips. Jay’s hands settled on her hips, pulling her further into his warmth.

“I thought it was a dream,” said Willow, resting her head on Jay’s shoulder. “I really did. And then I woke up expecting to see you beside me but you were gone and I thought it was a dream but then I saw you and…” She trailed off, her throat tight with emotion. “Thank you for staying.”

“I love you too much to leave,” said Jay. Willow knew that there was more to it than that, but she didn’t want to reopen old wounds.

“Where are you going?” she asked instead. “You’re too dressed to just be heading to the kitchen or bathroom.” Not only was Jay wearing jeans and his flannel, he was also wearing a jacket that looked quite warm, one that was usually worn outdoors.

“To do what I do every morning,” said Jay. “I want to see how beautiful the city can be. There must be something beautiful here, if it created you. And if you like it so much.”

“It never sounds cheesy when you say stuff like that,” said Willow with a laugh. But then, his words caught up with her. “Wait, you were going to go out into the city? Alone? I mean, don’t get me wrong, this part of Jorvik City is nice and peaceful but the city’s so big and it’s so easy for people to get lost in it.”

“I wasn’t planning on going far today,” said Jay. “Just maybe up to the top of the apartment building, see how the sun looks rising over all of those buildings.”

“I can probably do you one better,” said Willow. “If you want, I mean.”

“Are you offering to give me a personal tour of the city you grew up in?” Jay asked, his eyes wide and shining even in the dimness of the room. Willow nodded, smiling, heart thumping. “I’d love that!”

“Great! Then just wait for me to get dressed,” said Willow. “We can grab a tea for the road at a little café not far from here, I used to get something from there before and after school every day.”

“Will it be open at this hour?” Jay asked. “It’s so quiet right now, it’s almost like being back at home.”

“Oh yeah, some places around here open early for the commuters,” said Willow, already turning to search for some clothes to wear. Jeans were a given, and a sweater and fingerless gloves. After pulling on sneakers, Willow pulled a beanie down over the tops of her ears and a jacket to keep herself a bit warmer.

“At least you’ll keep warm in that,” said Jay.

“You’ll probably be carrying both our jackets by the time we head back home,” said Willow. “Horses aren’t allowed in Jorvik City, so we have to hoof it.”

“Hoof it?” Jay questioned, tilting his head to the side like a bird. Willow laughed, delighted all over again at Jay’s lack of basic human slang.

“Walking,” said Willow. “It means we have to walk.”

“I’m okay with that,” said Jay. “It can be like a date.” Willow couldn’t restrain the grin that spread across her face.

Jay had his sketchbook and pencil out and tucked to his chest as they left the apartment after leaving a note for Oskar telling him where they were going and when they’d be back. It was just a simple little thing- “Took Jay on a morning tour of the city. Be back in a few hours with some pastries and a coffee for you- W”.

“That almost makes it sound like I’m a dog,” Jay had said upon reading the note as Willow had been writing it.

“Well, you’re my cute little lost puppy,” said Willow. Jay hadn’t been offended at all, had only laughed at how true it was.

The sun was just barely lighting the sky as they stepped out of the apartment building. The road was clear of any cars aside from the ones parked beside the kerb, and Jay’s breath misted in the air as he looked around in amazement.

“Wow,” said Jay. “It seems like a completely different place in the morning.”

“I know, right?” said Willow, watching him. She felt warm inside, seeing how fascinated he was by this. “Almost like we’re the only people in the world.” It was a strange kind of loneliness. That feeling of being alone in this perfect little bubble, but with the knowledge that more company and noises would arrive soon. A few birds were starting to sing, making their presence known, but the distant noise of traffic was absent right now.

“I thought the city was full of cars,” said Jay. “That’s what it always seemed like whenever I came here before, anyway.”

“It can seem like that sometimes,” said Willow. “But the people driving those cars have to sleep sometime. Didn’t you notice how it got quieter last night?”

“Now that you mention it, yes,” said Jay, nodding. “But mostly, I was busy enjoying your company.” Willow blushed, rubbing her arm.

“Anyway, Aideen’s Plaza is in one of the quieter parts of the city,” said Willow. “That’s part of why I like it so much. And why dad likes it so much. There might be some of the more popular shops in other places like Governor’s Fall, but this place has… history.”

“I can feel it,” said Jay. “Every time I’m here.”

“Is that why you were so eager to come here with me?” Willow asked. She began to walk, partly to keep warm, partly to get to her morning cup of tea from her favourite café.

“Partly,” said Jay. “It was mostly you, though. I wanted to see why you liked it here so much. And to spend more time with you.” Sometimes, Willow wondered how someone as sweet as Jay could really exist. But mostly, she was glad that he did.

“Well, you don’t hear me complaining,” said Willow. “Just let me know when you wanna stop and sketch something, you know I don’t mind.”

Jay quickly discovered that, while the wilds of Jorvik had wildlife, the city had its own unique kind of wildlife. Pigeons roosting on buildings, building nests in the gutterings, cooing and making a mess, the cats roaming the streets or relaxing on front porches or balconies, the few stray dogs or dogs in yards. Jay stopped to sketch a few of these, marvelling over it. The city had its own kind of ecosystem, a rhythm that was similar and yet different to the rest of Jorvik. There were even some nice smells, mostly emanating from the cafes and coffee shops and gardens. Flowers were opening in the first rays of the sun as dawn broke over the city, and the dew smelled delightful as it dried on the grass.

In the café, Jay made a quick sketch of some pigeons eating dropped crumbs while Willow ordered the tea for herself and Jay, along with a pastry for each of them.

“We can have these for the road. If you can eat and walk and sketch and sip at the same time, anyway,” said Willow. “But I’ll hold your tea for you if you want.”

“Thank you,” said Jay, grinning. Willow had never expected to see him looking so happy in the city. It just seemed so unlike Jay, to find joy in this place that he’d seemed hellbent on disliking. Maybe it was the lack of cars. Maybe it was how much wildlife there was. Or maybe it was just Willow’s presence, a possibility that she was only just beginning to feel comfortable entertaining.

And so, while Jay sketched every plant in the sidewalk, every cat sunning itself in the first rays of the sun, every person walking their dog or just going for a walk, Willow held their tea and made sure to only sip from her own cup. Not that she’d mind drinking from Jay’s cup, they had the same tea and had definitely reached that point, but she didn’t want to drink all of his tea before he got a sip.

“It even smells better,” said Jay as they sat on a bench that was comfortably warm from the sun. Willow felt warm, too, taking her coat off and laying it over her lap while she sipped her tea and ate her flaky pastry. It was deliciously buttery, they were always best when they were fresh from the oven first thing in the morning. Just one of the many perks of waking up early.

“I imagine it would,” said Willow, still smiling as Jay looked around at everything. Most of the shops that they’d visited here before were still closed since it was before eight in the morning, but that was okay. This morning was all about enjoying each others company on a nice walk in the dawn sunlight.

“Before all the cars start going around stinking up the place with their fumes,” said Jay. Willow laughed. She should have known she wouldn’t escape this without a mini Jay rant on why cars were bad and horses were better. Willow half agreed with him. If only she could ride her horses everywhere… that would be the dream.

“Exactly,” said Willow. Her heart leaped as a sudden thought came to her. “And now, you get to see Jorvik City at every moment of the day. The dawn, the middle of the day, peak hour you’ll probably hate, and then evening and night.”

“The stars aren’t as bright here,” said Jay. “I noticed that last night.”

“Oh, you took the time to look at the stars?” Willow asked, teasing him. Jay blushed, scuffing the ground with the toe of his sneaker.

“I like looking at them,” said Jay. “Because the stars are the same no matter where you are.” Willow smiled, remembering that saying, and took Jay’s hand in her own.

“Even if they’re brighter at home,” said Willow. Jay nodded.

“But you’re here,” said Jay. “And that’s what matters.” The implication was clear- that Willow was his guiding star. And she wondered how she’d ever become that to him. If she had the right to be that for him. But with Jay, it didn’t matter if something was deserved. To Jay, Willow deserved everything good. Especially him, as he’d told her time and again. She kissed his cheek, hoping that it conveyed everything that she felt for him. For this man who had, without even meaning to, become everything to her.


End file.
